A Treat for Music Majors

January 29, 2007

By Pamela McLaren

Cal State Fullerton’s music majors got a special treat Friday, Jan.
26, when they stepped into Meng Concert Hall to hear what drives the
creative process for Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis.

Marsalis,
part of a musical family that includes his father, Ellis, and brothers Wynton,
Delfeayo and Jason, is an active performer, composer and record label head.
He has been performing professionally since 1984, when he recorded his first
album for Columbia Records.

Well known
for his stint as music director of the Tonight show, Marsalis has won three
Grammys, including awards for Best Instrumental Performance, Individual or
Group, for the albums “I Heard You Twice the First Time” in 1993
and “Contemporary Jazz” in 2001. Not only does he appear with
the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he has played with numerous symphonies throughout
America and Europe, including the Chicago, Seattle, Baltimore, Dusseldorf and
Rotterdam Philharmonic.

In 2002,
Marsalis founded his own music label, Marsalis Music. Since its founding, the
label has released 13 compact disks and three DVDs.

In addition
to his appearance at Cal State Fullerton, Marsalis has shared his knowledge
at such universities as Michigan State, San Francisco State, Stanford and North
Carolina Central. He has formed Marsalis Jams, an interactive program in which
leading jazz ensembles present concert/jam sessions in mini-residencies that
have visited the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and the Southwest.